This is the first mixed media work of its kind that I created for the Light Bringer Collection, in collaboration with goldsmith Maja Tokar. It is a mixed media piece consisting of an oil painting made by me, combined with metal elements crafted by her, including the structure that supports the real crow wings.
The work incorporates brass, copper, gilding metal, a raw ruby, and real preserved crow wings. All these components were assembled into an original structure in the form of a shrine, mounted on a larger background panel.
The story begins with someone who had two crow wings. He felt it would be a shame to discard them and hoped they could be given to someone who could create something beautiful from them. That someone turned out to be us.
This artwork is not just a piece; it is a shrine.
Who is she in the image?
To me, she is an angel. Yet, she also bears the features of the ancient goddess Ishtar, also known as Inanna. The eight-pointed star crowns her, she has wings, and in her hands, she holds a burning globe—a central element made of copper representing the Sun.
She is a manifestation of the Morning Star, the Light Bringer—a name historically associated with the planet Venus. She is the one with many names.
Her wings, dark as the night, emerge from the darkness. Crows, often seen as messengers of the gods and carriers of the soul, tie her to the divine. Like Ishtar/Inanna, who descended to and returned from the underworld, she becomes a guiding star in the night.
Her gesture of silence holds a secret meant only for the initiated to uncover. And only the initiated will truly know who she is.
The Concept of Light in Darkness
This piece embodies the theme of light in darkness, a concept central to all my works. The Light Bringer project is an alchemical work, beginning, like all alchemical processes, with the first stage: Nigredo. In this stage, matter must first become dark—dark like the crow.
Yet, in my work, light remains central. It is the focal point—the Philosophical Stone that transmutes base elements into the noble.
In alchemy, this transformation involves turning base metal, such as copper in this case, into gold. But symbolically, it is also the transmutation of the humble into the noble, the mortal into the immortal, the human into the divine.
Symbols and Alchemy
In this piece, the alchemical symbols for the five elements—Fire, Air, Water, Earth, and Spirit—are placed in the corners and at the top.
With this first mixed media work, merging metals, gemstones, and painting became an alchemical process that opened up exciting new artistic possibilities for me.
A Language of Symbols
These are some of the keys to interpreting this work, but I usually prefer to leave the interpretation to the viewer. Rather than offering a single explanation, I aim for a dialogue—a communication between the piece (or the entity within or beyond the piece) and the observer.
The figures speak through symbols, and symbols are powerful, living entities. They communicate with those ready to understand—or willing to embark on a journey of understanding.
Perhaps the angels depicted in these works call out to seekers, inviting them to explore and investigate the Mystery.
Ivan Boccherini
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